Tag: Stand-up Comedian

Raju

Raju Leaves Behind Legacy Of Jokes, Joy And Laughter

By LokMarg

Comedian-actor Raju Srivastava breathed his last breath at the age of 58, on Wednesday at AIIMS Delhi, after being admitted there following a heart attack on August 10.

Raju, who received widespread recognition after participating in the first season of the stand-up comedy show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge in 2005, was part of the Indian entertainment industry since the late 1980s.
Born Satya Prakash Srivastava on December 25, 1963, to a middle-class family in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, his father, Ramesh Chandra Srivastava was a poet known as Balai Kaka. Since his childhood, Raju was fond of doing mimicry, which is why he wanted to be a comedian.

After completing his early studies in Kanpur, Raju shifted to Mumbai with the dream of becoming a comedian. He started his career by doing small roles in Bollywood films.

The first part he played was in the 1998 film ‘Tezaab’, which was followed by the 1989 Salman Khan starrer ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ and ‘Baazigar’ in 1993. Apart from these, he also worked in ‘Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiyaa’, ‘Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon’, ‘Big Brother’ and ‘Bombay to Goa’ among several other films.

On July 1, 1993, Raju married Shikha from Lucknow and the duo had two children, Antara and Ayushman.

Raju then decided to venture into stand-up comedy after he took part as a contestant in Star One’s show ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge’ in 2005, where his comedy got a new identity. He bagged the first runner-up place in the show.

During his stint on the show and even after that Raju, who was known most for his acute scrutiny and comical timing about various Indian aspects of life, became very popular for his stage character ‘Gajodhar Bhaiya’.

Subsequently, he also took part in the show’s spin-off, ‘The Great Indian Laughter Challenge – Champions’, where he won the title of ‘The King of Comedy’.

After gaining popularity as a comedian, he worked in TV shows like ‘Bigg Boss’, ‘Comedy Circus’, ‘Raju Hazir Ho’, ‘Comedy Ka Maha Muqabala’ and ‘Laugh India Laugh’. In 2009, he participated in Colors TV’s dance reality show ‘Nach Baliye’ as a dance couple with his wife Shikha. Raju also appeared on ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’.

After conquering the world of comedy and making a permanent place in his audience’s heart, he also expanded his reigns in politics. For the 2014 Lok Sabha election, the Samajwadi Party fielded him from Kanpur.

However, Raju returned the ticket on March 11, 2014, stating he was not getting enough support from the party’s local units. Following this, on March 19, 2014, he joined the Bhartiya Janta Party, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi nominated him to be part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Since then, through his events in different cities, Raju promoted cleanliness and made various music videos for the cause. He also shot various TV commercials and social service message videos for ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’.

The comedian was admitted to the hospital on August 10 after a heart attack. He was experiencing chest pain and collapsed while working out at the gym. Post this, his trainer took him to the hospital.

Reportedly, the 58-year-old was running on the treadmill when he complained about chest pain. He underwent an angioplasty the same day. After staying on the ventilator for several weeks, he finally passed away on September 21.

In a world where people struggle with sorrows and disappointments on a daily basis, Raju Srivastava’s comedy brought that much-needed spark of laughter to the common Indian. Though the ace comedian will never crack a joke again, his legacy of jokes, laughter and joy will continue to live for generations to come. (ANI)

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‘Torn Between The Choice To Be Humorous Or Be Safe’

By LokMarg

Shubham Kashyap, 24, a stand-up comedian, says the recent arrest of Munawar Faruqui only shows we have forgotten to laugh at ourselves. Kashyap would prefer a shoe missile from the audience than vitriolic trolling on social media

I have been doing stand-up comedy for nearly three years now, but each year it is getting more difficult to write jokes that wouldn’t offend anyone. There’s always someone waiting in the wings to get offended by the most miniscule of things.

Comedy is no longer a laughing matter and comedians have to constantly keep walking on eggshells, maybe glass shards, to not get caught in a controversy. We had thought 2021 would be a better year for us, but on the very first day of the year (January 1, 2021), a fellow stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui was arrested from Indore.

The pandemic taught us the need to laugh at ourselves. Just see what we have done to the world by taking ourselves so seriously. People in our country can get offended at every chance they get. They consume offence for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To be caught between the need to express your creativity and the need to stay safe is unnerving.

ALSO READ: As A Cartoonist, I Must Question The Establishment

I was appalled at the way Faruqui and others were treated, what with the fact that his bail kept getting postponed, even though there was no evidence. As about the YouTube clip that was uploaded last year, he had already apologised for it.

I wonder when the culture in our country surrounding laughter changed so much; probably post-2014. From a country that prided itself on the culture of rajya vidushak (a court jester who could make fun of kings) for thousands of years, we have reached a state where making fun of, or questioning, the establishment can land you in trouble.

Kashyap says we now live with straitjacket labels as either Anti-Nationals or Bhakts

Holi festivals were always associated with Hasya Kavi Sammelans and celebrated with someone titled as the Moorkhadhiraj (king of fools) each year. We knew then how to laugh at ourselves earlier. Now we live with straitjackets labels: People who laugh at a BJP joke are dubbed anti-nationals while people who laugh at the Left are called Bhakts.

I would also like to add that religion is a sensitive matter and to make jokes on a religion that you have not lived, understood or practised deeply, might put you in a difficult situation. Religion is beyond reason for most people and they think emotionally on the matters of faith.

So, if you really have to crack a joke on religion, do it for the religion that you ‘practise’. Also, there is a fine line between genuinely questioning people, countries, religions in a humorous way and couching your dislike for one behind the veil of humour. Even though the violence cannot be justified, what appears in magazines like Charlie Hebdo or Jyllanden Post can definitely not pass as humour.

ALSO READ: Charlie Hebdo And The Laxman Rekha

I have been performing in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi-NCR and carry a reputation for being able to evoke uproarious laughs (attahas), using over-the-top Kanpur style as well as Lucknow’s delicate sense of humour (tehzeeb). But now I feel cracking a joke in UP and NCR could be risky.

I once received a flying shoe missile from the audience for one of my jokes. But shoes hurt less than the social media trolling. In 2016, I had cracked a joke on Modiji’s promise of ₹15 lakh on Promise Day (in Valentine’s Week), and my email inbox felt like a volcano waiting to explode. I have tried to live and learn amid such experiences.

Year 2020 was tough and I hope 2021 teaches everyone to chill a little. May stand up comedians crack better jokes; may freedom of expression be understood for what it is (the right to extend your arm ends where the other person’s nose begins). May we learn to be more offended by how living beings are treated! May laughter go viral!!

As Told To Yog Maya Singh